Experiences, Stories, and Sharing at the Intersections of Faiths and Cultures

Working In Middle Spaces

September 25, 2009

Here’s a common question: “Is your film (music/dance/art) for Christian or non-Christian audiences?” Conventional wisdom (very wisely) preaches that you need to pick your audience. I think many Christian artists tend to instinctively draw a dividing line between those who are ‘saved’ and ‘unsaved’ when they craft their stories.

I think that the dividing line(s) can easily fall in other areas. For instance, if I am looking at my audience, I may choose to treat some viewers who are Christian and Secular as one group, joined by other interests. I may also exclude some viewers who are Christian and Secular from my core audience, because they have different interests. Maybe this isn’t a surprise to you, but it feels like there is pressure away from this in what may be considered ‘mainstream Christian’ media channels.

The Enemy God Poster

Here’s where this hits me. We have a film story, Yai Wanonabalewa: The Enemy God, that comes from a profoundly Christian worldview but also is of interest to audiences who don’t hold to that worldview. So when we screen the film and introduce it to people, we get a lot of interest from both sides because they share a common interest in things like indigenous stories, spirituality, independent film, etc. They don’t, however, always share a commitment to a Christian worldview. The opposite is also true. Some audiences who share the basic worldview of the film may not like it and some who might be passionate about indigenous issues may reject it for various reasons. So, when someone asks me about my film’s audience (and if the questioner is Christian) they usually give me an odd look when I say we are aiming at both Christians and Non-Christians with our film. It’s as if we are hopeless fools who just don’t get it, or are just too un-disciplined to make a hard choice.

Really, I would argue, we are aiming for a different ‘tribe’ – one who may not be joined by religious belief, but by other passions. And the faith elements are able to mix and provoke like a good parable. I would like to suggest and encourage you to be disciplined to focus on an audience (and not try to say, “it’s for everyone!”) But I would also encourage those of you who are creating stories that work in what some call ‘middle-spaces’ of our culture. We need visual stories that gain a hearing in every sub-culture and ‘tribe’. And, sometimes, we discover that we are able to encourage people who share our faith claims, who are wandering around in those same middle spaces, looking for someone of faith who will speak to them as well.

We are about to screen The Enemy God here in Denver at the Starz FilmCenter, hosted by the Denver Film Society. (press release below) The cool thing for us, by God’s grace, is that we are playing alongside films that deal with alternative lifestyle issues, native american issues, thrillers, religion, etc. It’s a privilege that many films that come from a Christian worldview don’t get. So we are hoping to make the most of it and the conversations that are provoked. In some ways, I feel that we have stumbled our way in to these things. I hope the conversation encourages or does something else to you!